(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each agency head shall designate a Senior Official to carry out the responsibilities of the agency under the Act and this part. The Senior Official shall report directly to the head of the agency and shall have the authority, subject to that of the agency head, to carry out the responsibilities of the agency under the Act and this part.

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(b) An agency head may retain full undelegated review authority for any component of the agency which by statute is required to be independent of any agency official below the agency head. For each component for which responsibility under the Act is not delegated to the Senior Official, the agency head shall be responsible for the performance of those functions.

(c) The Senior Official shall head an office responsible for ensuring agency compliance with and prompt, efficient, and effective implementation of the information policies and information resources management responsibilities established under the Act, including the reduction of information collection burdens on the public.

(d) With respect to the collection of information and the control of paperwork, the Senior Official shall establish a process within such office that is sufficiently independent of program responsibility to evaluate fairly whether proposed collections of information should be approved under this Part.

(e) Agency submissions of collections of information for OMB review, and the accompanying certifications under § 1320.9, may be made only by the agency head or the Senior Official, or their designee.